Car-axle lubricator.



PATENTED AUG. 18, 1903. 0.a.' GLAGH'ORN. .GAR AXLB LUBRIGATOR.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 26, 1903.

No KODEL.

17E-Beggar',

Illlllllllllll/ IHNl a ZW y Nuo. 736,819. PA'IENTBD AUG. 18, 1903.

C. R. GLAGHORN. v

GAR AXLE LUBRICATOR. PrLIoA'rI'ox FILED JAN. 2e, 1903.

No nonm.. z sHnBTs-SHBBT 2.

nrc. 736,819.

UNITED STATES Patented August 18, 1903.

4PATENT OFFICE.

CAR-AXLE LUBRICATO R.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,819, dated August 18, 1903.

Application iiled January 26, 1903. Serial No. 140,543. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern,.-

Beit known that I, CLARENCE R. CLAG- HORN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wehrum, in the county of Indiana and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Axle Lubricators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. V

Figure l is a side elevation of a car lubricating mechanism embodying my improvements, showing also in section parts of the car and track system. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the track system,`showing lubricating mechanism in end elevation. Figs. 3 to 6 show details.

In the drawings I have indicated more or less conventionallya carA of the sort adapted to be lubricated by amechanism having my improvements. Its axle is indicated by B, the car-body-resting upon it through the boxes h. These boxes are so constructed and attached as to leave at b' parts of the axle exposed, and at these points the lubricant can be readily applied. It distributes itself over the bearing-surfaces when the axle is in motion.

C indicates the wheels, and D the trackrails, by Which they. are guided.

The lubricant is imparted to the axlesby a rotary distributer having lubricant-applying wheels E E. ends of the axle simultaneously, and therefore the parts which finally apply the oil or lubricant'are duplicates of each other; but

for present purposes it will not be necessary to describe more than one set of these devices.

The wheel part E of the distributor is Connected to a shaft e, which is mounted in bearing-stands F by means of boxes f, which can move vertically in the standards, they resting upon springs G, which tend to hold them to their upper limit of movements, but which permit them to yield downward under the pressure of the car-axle and the weight of the car as it passes over; The stands F are carried by frame-legs I1" F', which are extended downward, preferably being long enough to extend into a pit or chamber formed below the track-rails to contain the oil-supplying devices, they being shown'secured to a base F2. The distributor-wheel E is turned from I prefer to lubricate bothl time to time, so as to bring new sections of its surface into contact with the axles successively as they impinge upon it. This turning is effected by lneans of the arm I-I, having a hub h, which is loosely mounted on the shaft e. It has pivoted a pawl H', which engages with a ratchet-wheel H2, secured to the shaft e. As the car-axles successively1 reach the lubricating devices they impart a forward step movement to the arm I-I, and this through the pawl and ratchet gives a corresponding advance to the distributer-wheel E. After each axle passes over the distributer the arm and pawl are returned to normal positions by a spring at I thron gh the draft of a rod I.

`The oil is delivered to the surface of the distributer-wheel E through a tube or duct J, which extends from the reservoir below up to points near the top of the periphery of the wheel, as'shown. It is forced up to such point by the following devices:

K represents the reservoir for the lubricant. It has an interior cylindrical chamber, to which is fitted a piston L. The piston-rod N extends through the end of the cylinder and is threaded. With it a nut M engages, and as the latteris turned it forces the rod and the piston forward, thereby causing the lubricant to be forced through the duct J. Such turning of the nut is effected by an intermitting or step-by-step movement of a wheel M', rigid with it.

This is a bevel-wheel and engages with a bevel-pinion O on a shortcounter-shaft o. These parts and the cylinder are supported in a suitable framework, such as shown at P and P' P2. Intermitting movements are given to the wheel O by a ratchet-wheel Q, secured to shaft o, and with which engages a pawl q, carried by a vibrating arm Q', which is pivoted to the aforesaid rod or link I, extending up to the rocker-arm H, the latter being provided with a bell-crank arm H3 for the connection of this rod I. When the caraxles strike the arm H, it exerts an upward draft on the rod I and also on the pawl-arm Q. The pawl-and-ratchet wheel Q gives a corresponding movement to the wheels O and IVI with a proportionate advance of the piston L. V

U is a crank-arm connected vtothe' shaft o. It is so arranged that the crank can be IOO grasped by hand when desired, and motion can be thereby imparted to the bevel gearing and through the latter to the plunger, either in such way as to cause it to advance vor to be retracted in the receptacle. In the latter case the pawls can be disengaged either by hand or by the pawl-dsengaging devices, t0 be described.

With the parts described I also combine devices for adjusting or regulating the quantity of lubricant to be fed to the distributor and also devices for throwing entirely out of action the means which push the piston. At r2 there is a flange carried by a disk 0^', loosely mounted on the shaft o by means of a hub r, the flange being cut away at r3, so as to expose a series of ratchet-teeth. At r4 the device is weighted, the weighted part normally tending to come to the vertical plane of the shaft. When the cut-away part r3 is in the arc of travel of the pawl q, the latter can er1- gage withthe ratchet-teeth; butthis cut-away part can be adjusted to one position or auother and locked under adjustment by the holding and releasing devices, whose parts are indicated at S, it com prising a detent-lever S and a knock-olf device S2. The lever has an arm s, with a dog s2, adapted to engage with one or another of a series of holes, notches, or recesses T5 in the flange r2. A spring S3 tends to hold the dogs in locked position. If it should be desired to advance the piston only short distances at each action, the flange-plate r2 is turned around to such position as that but only one of the ratchet-teeth will be exposed through the cut-awaypart r3 tothe engagement of the pawl q, and when brought to such position the dog s2 enters the proper socket at r5 and holds it; but ifit is desired to feed the lubricant faster the flanged disk is turned so as to expose two or more of the ratchet-teeth and similarlylocked by the dog. When the piston reaches the end of the cylinder K, it is desirable in order to prevent breakage to automatically throw out the feeding devices entirely. This is accomplished by the parts at S, the lever S',

and the knocker S2. The latter is secured to the piston-rod N at the proper point, and when the piston comes near the end of the cylinder the knocker engages the lever S and rocks it and its dog s2 out of engagement with lthe anged disk r'. Thereupon the weighted parts rock the lian ge around to such position that it is interposed between the pawl and the teeth, and their further engagement is prevented. Should cars thereafter pass over the mechanism they will, it is true, cause movements of the arm H and of the other parts down to and including the pawl; but such movements will be idle as concerns the advance of the piston.

What I claim is- 1. In a car-axle lubricator,the combination of the distributer adapted to apply lubricant to the car-axle, the vessel or receptacle for the lubricant, the duct for conducting the lubricant to the distributer, the devi-ces actuated by the passing car for forcing the lubricant from the receptacle to the distributer, and means for varying the action of the lubricant-ejecting devices, su bstantially as set forth.

2. In a car-axle lubricator, the combination of the distributer adapted to supply lubricant toa car-axle, the receptacle or vessel for the lubricant, the plunger in the said vessel, the duct for conducting lubricant from the vessel to the distributer, the means actuated by the passing cars for moving the said plunger, and means forvarying the move-.

ments of the plunger, substantially as set forth.

3. In a car-axle lubricator, the combination of the distributer adapted to supply lubricant to a car-axle, the vessel or receptacle for the lubricant, the means for ejecting the lubricant from the receptacle to the distributer, the devices for varying the action of the lubricant-ejecting means, and the devices for automatically throwing them entirely out of action when the vesselis empty, substantially as set forth.

et. In a car-axle lubricator, the combination of the distributer adapted to supply lubricant to a car-axle, the receptacle for the lubricant, the duct delivering to the distributer lubricant from the receptacle, the plunger in the receptacle, the car-actuated power device independent of the distributer, and the screw-threaded mechanism interposed between the power device and the plunger for transmitting step-by-step movement to the latter, substantially as set forth.

5. In a car-axle lubricator, the combination of the distributer adapted to supply lubricant to a car-axle, the vessel or receptacle for the lubricant, the duct delivering lubricant to the distributer from the receptacle, the means forejecting the lubricant from the receptacle, the caractuated power devices for actuating the lubricant ejecting means, and means adapted to be operated by hand for also actuating them, substantially as set forth.

6. In a car-lubricating apparatus, the cornbin ation of the lubricant-receptacle, the plunger therein, the distributer adapted to supply lubricant to a car-axle, the duct leading from the receptacle to the distributer, the wheel connected to the plunger, the wheel-driving devices arranged to be actuated by the passing car, and means connected to the plunger for disengaging the wheeldriving devices from the wheel when the plunger reaches the end of its stroke, substantially as set forth.

7. In a car-'axle-lubricating mechanism, the combination of the lubricant-receptacle, the plunger therein, the lubricantdistributer adapted to supply lubricant to a car-axle, the duct leading from the receptacle to the distributer, the power-receiving device arranged in the path of the car, the train of powertransmitting devices connecting the powerreceiver to the plunger, and means connect- IIO ed with the plunger for automatically disconnecting the power-receiver from the plunger at the end of the stroke of the latter, substantially as set forth. 1

S. In acar-lubricatin g apparatus, the combination of the lubricant-receptacle arranged below the car-tracks, the plunger therein, the horizontally-arran ged threaded shaft connected with the plunger, the nut engaging with said shaft, the ratchet and pawlv having one of its members operatively connected to the said nut, the distributer adapted to supply lubricant to a car-axle, the duct leading from the receptacle to the distributer, the powerreceiving devices in the path of the car, and connected with the other member of the ratchet-and-pawl mechanism and means for throwing the ratchet and pawlout of action when the plunger reaches the end of its stroke, substantially as set forth.

9. In a car-axle-lubricating mechanism, the

' combination of the lubricant-receptacle, the plunger therein,th,e rotarylubricant-distributer movable by the passing cars independent of the plunger, lthe duct leading from the receptacle to the distributer, the power-receiving device arranged in the path of passing cars, power-transmitting devices connecting said power-receiver with the plunger, andv means for; throwing the 'plunger outV of action at the end of its stroke independently of the lubricantdistributer, substantially as described.

10. In a car-aXle-lubricating mechanism, the combination of the lubricant-receptacle, the plunger therein, the power-receiving device arranged in the path of the passing cars, the power-transmitting devices connecting the power-receiver with `the plunger, the ro, tary distributer adapted to supply lubricant to a car-axle, and to move down and up independently of the power-transmitting devices,

1 and the duct leadingfrom the receptacle to the plunger therein, the lubricant-distributer,

adapted to supply lubricant to a car-axle, the duct leading from the receptacle to the distributer, the rotary power-transmitting devices connected to and adapted to advance the plunger, the step-by-step moving devices for actuating the said.power-transmitting devices, and the reciprocating power-receiving .device arranged in the path of the cars and adapted to intermittently transmit movement to the step-by-step devices, substantially as set forth.

13. In a car-aXle-lubricating mechanism, the combination of the lubricant-receptacle, the plunger therein, the distributer advancing step by step and adapted to supply lubricant toa car-axle, the duct leadingfrom the receptacle tothe distributer, the mechanismA driving devices for the wheel arranged totbe actuated by the passing car, an automaticallymovable holder for holding the wheel-driving devices in inactive position, a lock forretaining the holder out of engagement with said devices, and means for releasing the lock, substantially as described. v

15. y In a car-axle-lubricating mechanism, the combination of the lubricant-receptacle, the plunger therein, the lubricant-distributer adapted: to supply lubricant to a car-axle, the duct leading `from the receptacle to the distribu ter, the step-by-step moving wheel Q for operating the plunger, the pawl forrotating said wheel, the power-receiving device for the pawl arranged in the path of-a car, pawlidisengaging devices, a lock to hold the pawl-disengaging devices inactive, and means oper\l ated by the plunger for releasing the said lock, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses. CLARENCE R. CLAGHORN.

Witnesses: Y

E. J. BLAOKLEY, 1-1. H. BLIss.

IOO 

